May 26, 2009 3:43 pm US/Eastern
Unease Remains As Dozens Of NYC Schools Reopen
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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A custodian scrubs the lockers of a school closed by swine flu fears.
Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Health officials say New York has 96 new cases of swine flu, bringing the total confirmed to 462.
State Health Commissioner Dr. Richard Daines says the total outside New York City rose to 132 in 19 counties, with one case each in Clinton and Onondaga counties, and two cases each in Dutchess and Suffolk. New York City has 90 new cases. The total there is now 330.
Meanwhile, hundreds of New York City students returned to classes on Tuesday as at least 20 schools reopened their doors.
At PS 19 in Corona, it was back to school after swine flu fears shut down a cluster of Queens schools and some on Long Island, New Jersey and Manhattan. Despite efforts to sanitize all facilities, parents still have lots of questions.
Alma Renta brought her five-year-old Brauglio back to kindergarten after a week off.
"Why was it closed? To prevent the flu from spreading I know, but I hope it was cleaned up," Alma Renta said while speaking with CBS 2 HD.
Schools Chancellor Joel Klein was at the school in Corona, welcoming students back.
"Schools have been cleaned, the purpose of this was to give children a chance to have time off to stop the spread of the H1N1 virus, to stop it from spreading rapidly," said Klein.
In all, 20 New York City public schools reopened Tuesday morning; 16 were in Queens, 2 in the Bronx and 1 each in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Perhaps the most poignant reopening was at IS 238, where students were remembering their popular Assistant Principal Mitchell Wiener, who was the city's first victim of the swine flu.
"I will be thinking of him all week because he was a very important man at our school," said 13-year-old Brian Perez.
At PS 31 in Bayside, several parents joined City Councilmember Tony Avella to complain about a high absentee rate among teachers and students.
"We're just asking that the school be closed because it's not working. Kids are getting sick and the virus is still spreading," said mother Cathy Rodriguez.
But school officials at PS 31 say for the first time in weeks the absentee rate is low and attendance is up.
As for whether the school year needs to be extended because of so many missed days, the city's Department of Education is asking the state legislature for a waiver.
Q&A: What Is Swine Flu?
CDC Swine Flu Facts Sheet
Learn At Home Student Guides
CBS News Interactive: Fighting The Flu
CDC Emergency Updates Via Twitter
Swine Flu Twitter Live Search Results
David Burnia's Swine Flu Watch On Twitter
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